Sunday, June 19, 2016

You're a Good, Good Father

We spent Father's Day taking our own dads out to lunch and ice cream, and then we headed home to veg with the kids--Donnie's favorite thing.

Father's Day 2014

They piled up on the couch like a horizontal pyramid and the good, good father of my four babies was in his happy place.

Donnie is such a good dad. It will be easy for our kids to relate to God as their Father, because they have his excellent example to compare Him to. They know that they are loved by him, cherished by him.

baby Esther, 2011

All he wants is to be with them, and the value that has ingrained in their souls makes it easy to believe that God wants to be with them, too. That He'd give His life for them.

Eli 2014

Because of their dad, they understand that they are cherished, and they see others as worthy of love too. They watch his example as he makes the name Jesus known to everyone who will listen, and they see him BE Jesus to those who won't. They want to live like that.

He's got my whole world in his hands, 2014

I am so thankful for the dads in this world who are living out their role as a representative of Jesus. When your kids turn to their Heavenly Father, they will know that He is good, that He loves them, and that they can trust Him. Because you have shown them what that looks like.

::

I know that not everyone has a dad like this. If your earthly dad was self-serving, insulting, withheld good from you, made you earn his favor, or caused harm to you, it can be hard to separate those traits from the personality of God. I pray that you would consider that God is different from the example you were shown of what a Father is. Your Heavenly Father is everything you wished your dad could have been to you. He wants to spend time with you. He wants you to tell Him about your day. He has all the time in the world for you. He is gentle and kind. He wants the best for you that life has to offer. He hurts when you hurt. He wants to protect you from pain. He wants you to succeed in life. He wants you to be whole. He wants these things so bad that He came to earth in the form of Jesus, to walk like you and feel all the feelings that you experience. He wants to be with you so much, that He gave his life to pay your way into eternity. He conquered guilt for you. He conquered death for you. Think about that. You will close your eyes in this life and open them in His presence. Not one minute of death. And the most amazing part of this whole thing is, He'll never hold it over your head. He'll never remind you of how much you owe Him. It's free. It's a gift. It's forever. You just have to say yes.

Matthew 7:9-11Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Matthew 23:9And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

Galatians 4:6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Proverbs 3:11My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Comments

We spent Father's Day taking our own dads out to lunch and ice cream, and then we headed home to veg with the kids--Donnie's favorite thing.

Father's Day 2014

They piled up on the couch like a horizontal pyramid and the good, good father of my four babies was in his happy place.

Donnie is such a good dad. It will be easy for our kids to relate to God as their Father, because they have his excellent example to compare Him to. They know that they are loved by him, cherished by him.

baby Esther, 2011

All he wants is to be with them, and the value that has ingrained in their souls makes it easy to believe that God wants to be with them, too. That He'd give His life for them.

Eli 2014

Because of their dad, they understand that they are cherished, and they see others as worthy of love too. They watch his example as he makes the name Jesus known to everyone who will listen, and they see him BE Jesus to those who won't. They want to live like that.

He's got my whole world in his hands, 2014

I am so thankful for the dads in this world who are living out their role as a representative of Jesus. When your kids turn to their Heavenly Father, they will know that He is good, that He loves them, and that they can trust Him. Because you have shown them what that looks like.

::

I know that not everyone has a dad like this. If your earthly dad was self-serving, insulting, withheld good from you, made you earn his favor, or caused harm to you, it can be hard to separate those traits from the personality of God. I pray that you would consider that God is different from the example you were shown of what a Father is. Your Heavenly Father is everything you wished your dad could have been to you. He wants to spend time with you. He wants you to tell Him about your day. He has all the time in the world for you. He is gentle and kind. He wants the best for you that life has to offer. He hurts when you hurt. He wants to protect you from pain. He wants you to succeed in life. He wants you to be whole. He wants these things so bad that He came to earth in the form of Jesus, to walk like you and feel all the feelings that you experience. He wants to be with you so much, that He gave his life to pay your way into eternity. He conquered guilt for you. He conquered death for you. Think about that. You will close your eyes in this life and open them in His presence. Not one minute of death. And the most amazing part of this whole thing is, He'll never hold it over your head. He'll never remind you of how much you owe Him. It's free. It's a gift. It's forever. You just have to say yes.

Matthew 7:9-11Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Matthew 23:9And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

Galatians 4:6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Proverbs 3:11My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

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